There are many forces that shaped me into the person that I am today. The ten strongest forces are my mother, my father, my grandmother, my sister, my faith, my friends, music, books, education, and the Harry Potter series. My mother has made a positive influence in my life by teaching me that no matter what circumstances you grow up in, you can always make the decision to live a better life, and choose happiness. My dad raised me to be comfortable in myself. He's always taught me that it's okay to just be you, and you should never try to be someone for anyone else. Both of my parents have been my rock, believing in me, even when I didn't believe in myself. My sister is seven years older than me and we never got along until very recently. She taught me that it's never too late to have second chances, and you should always be willing to work on a relationship. Growing up, I always very close with my grandmother. In many ways, she is the one who shaped me most into the person that I am today. She sparked my interest in learning, and would always encourage me to read and write, which has always been something I've loved. She passed away two years ago but still remains to be a strong force in my life. My faith is also another strong force that has shaped me into who I am. It helps to guide my life in the right directions, and is always something to rely on. Music has also been a strong force for me. Even as a young child I was always very interested in music, and I've played an instrument for eight years. In many ways it has given me a way to express myself, not only in playing music but also in listening to music. Books have also been a strong influence for me. When I read a book, I feel as though I become the character in that book, the mistakes that the character makes, or even just the lessons that come from within the book help me to see choices in a different light. Education is a strong force for me. I try my best to push myself to do the very best that I can do, Education has inspired that because I always try to put the best effort into school work. Lastly, the Harry Potter series has been a very strong force for me. In some ways, I have learned more about being a good person, and doing the right thing than I have from other resources. They have taught me about the power of friendship, love, and most importantly the difference between right and wrong. Without the strong morals that my family and culture, I would not be the person that I am today.
Jessica,
I agree with your comment about your sister because I see that somewhat with my own siblings. We are definitely grateful for what we have in each other, but I think we will grow to appreciate that more as we get older. I also agree with your comment about becoming the character in the book. I think sometimes whether we notice it or not, we compare ourselves to the characters that we read about and analyze the character's qualities in comparison to our own. I like that you listed Harry Potter as a force in your life, as I am a fan of the books too. You can really learn a lot from books, and the HP series really demonstrates the values of friendship, love, morals.
Jessica Smith
Madame bovary - Gustave Flaubert
Wiki Post #1 Summary: The novel starts out with the introduction of the character Charles Bovary. Gustave Flaubert explains both of the main characters and goes onto give an entire description of Charles Bovary's life. He is painted as someone who is somewhat lazy and a bit of a push over. In chapter two, Charles is called and is alerted that he is needed to set a farmers broken leg. When he goes over to the farm he is introduced to the protagonist Emma. She is the farmer's daughter and is very displeased with life on the country. Charles quickly begins to fall in love with her, much to his wife's dismay, and begins to visit the farm far more often than he needs to. When Charles's wife finds out that Emma comes from good breeding and has good looks, she forbids Charles to ever visit the farm again. However, Charles's wife dies shortly after, and soon Emma and Charles are married. Emma wants to have an elaborate and romantic wedding, but is forced to have a more traditional one. Analysis: I am really enjoying the book. I find the book to be fascinating and I think Flaubert is a genius author. There are two themes that I'm starting to notice within each of the main characters. In Charles, I see a theme of contentment and wanting to live the happiest life that you can. In Emma I see a theme of wanting things you cannot have and wanting to have more for yourself. I found it to be really interesting that the book did not start out with the protagonist, Emma, but instead with Charles. Application: This novel relates to the essential question in someways. The characteristic that is present in this book that I think spanned through man kind and culture is to want more for yourself than you have. I think that it is human nature to want things that you can't have and to constantly try to improve the life you have. This is evident in the character Emma because she is very displeased with country life. She wants to have more than what she has. When she is planning her wedding, she wants this elaborate and romantic wedding, but is forced to have a more traditional wedding. This thus proves that it is human nature to want things we cant have. I think that this is her role in the novel. Wiki Post #2 Summary: In this section of the novel Emma moves into her new home with Charles. As she studies the house, she begins to make a list of improvements to be made. She also demands Charles to remove the dried bouquet of his last wife. The longer that time moves on, Emma begins to be disappointed by her new life. Before she was married, she felt as though she was in love, but now that she is married, she doesn't feel happiness, and instead feels as though she was mistaken and was never in love at all. In the next chapter Emma reminisces on her time in the convent. She immersed herself with romance novels, and mourns her mothers death. After mourning her mother's death for some time, she leaves the convent. She goes back to living in the country with her father and soon becomes bored of this average life. This is where she meets Charles and her life is caught up to the current date. Analysis: I am still really enjoying this novel. I like how the perspective changes from Charles over to Emma and how it is kind of a rewritten version of the first section but only in Emma's view now. I am beginning to see the theme in Emma's character come out even more now since learning her background story. Emma has even more discontentment towards everything going on in her life. I feel that this is what sets the tone for her character as a whole. I feel as though she has two sides in her personality, one side is the life that she wants; romantic and happy, the other is how she really is; discontent and dissatisfied by almost everything in her life. Application: I am beginning to see how this novel relates to the essential question even more now, mainly with the characteristic that I already brought up in the last post about wanting things that you cannot have and always wanting to improve your life. Although, I think I'm seeing Emma's character as more of a yearning for satisfaction in a world where you will only find dissatisfaction kind of character. This does relate to the essential question though because she is still trying to improve her life. She is so disappointed by everything that she just always wants more out of life. I think that this is something present in all areas and stages of mankind. Without this want to have more than what we do have, I do not believe we would be where we are today. Wiki Post #3 Summary: In this section of the novel the novel Flaubert lets us in to what the lives of the Bovary' are really like. Charles is head over heels in love with Emma, but she is left feeling dejected from her life with him. When they go to a party, she begins to have feelings for another man; Leon. Time moves on and eventually Emma is so infatuated with him, she no longer cares about being virtuous by the restrictions of her marriage, however when Leon moves to Paris, she finds a new lover; Rodolphe. Emma and Rodolphe's relationship grows stronger and stronger and eventually Emma gives herself to him, however soon he begins to grow bored of her but stays with her merely for her sexual appeal. Emma is disgusted by Charles and her daughter Berthe. She beings to be so careless with her affair that the whole town begins to figure it out, but of course Charles is blind to the affair. Emma and Rodolphe make plans to run away together but Rodolphe ends up talking himself out of the plan. Analysis: As I stated in the earlier posts, I really enjoy this book. I really enjoy the plot and Flaubert's writing style. Emma's true character is coming out more and more. In this section she is played out to be a fair bit more selfish and less virtuous. In psychology there is something called the Id, Ego, and Super ego which depicts our frame of thinking and behavior. The id is the strictly selfish thoughts and actions we partake in, the super ego is the exact opposite; it is the pure and socially acceptable thoughts and actions we partake in. In this section Emma begins to become more and more id based. Application: The theme that I had detected before that related to the essential question which was the need to desire things that we cannot have is even more evident in this section, although now it turns to more of the romantic desires. Emma is constantly dissatisfied in Charles, when he fails an operation she is extremely embarrassed which in a way pushes her to want to pursue her affair even more. Even though Emma knows that Rodolphe is only using her for sex, she is willing to put that behind her in order to have this romantic daydream that she's always dreamed of fulfilling. Wiki Post #4 Summary: In this part of the novel, we see Emma's true self in full form. Emma receives a letter from Rodolphe stating that he no longer wishes to elope with her. She goes into a deep sickness for many months but then suddenly comes out of it when she reaches a religious epiphany. With this epiphany she becomes much kinder to Charles and Berthe but this doesn't last long because she soon becomes dissatisfied with her life again. One evening Charles and Emma go to an opera where they run into Leon who has returned from Paris. When Charles must return back to town, both Emma and Leon stay over night to see the next part of the opera the following day, however instead of doing so, they spend the day together speaking of romantic ideas, and beginning an affair together. When Emma must make a trip to Rouen to have Leon draw up papers for Charles fathers death, the two have a three day honeymoon doing romantic things together. When it is time for her to come home, she arranges ways for him to write to her. Analysis: I think that Emma is a really selfish character. When Charles's father dies, instead of being supportive she runs off to have an affair with a friend of her husband. Overall I still really like the book. I think in this section of the novel we can see the how rapidly she begins to become unconcerned with everything else but the affairs in her life. Application: I think there is another part of the essential question coming out in this section of the book of doing whatever you want despite the consequences of ones actions. When Emma is out having her affair she isn't worried about her husband or her child, she doesn't care about what might happen to them in her absence. I think we see this throughout today's society. We see many cases in the United States where mothers abandon their children to do things such as go out despite how it may effect their child. This is also evident when we see parents who become alcoholics and drug addicts even though it harms their children. This is definitely a human characteristic that spans time and culture. Wiki Post #5 Summary: In this section of the novel Emma has turned completely selfish and completely infatuated with Leon. She begins to go deeply into debt as she does not pay her taxes but still takes out loans. Eventually both her and Leon grow tired of each other and their affair ends. Emma begins to try to gather money to pay her debt but when she does not earn enough she begins to offer to sell her body, however she still does not earn enough money because no one will take her up on her offers. She becomes very depressed and takes arsenic from the local apothacary and soon falls into a deep sickness. She writes a letter to Charles but instructs him to not open it until the next day. By the time he opens the letter, it is too late. None of the many doctors that Charles calls in can cure her and she soon dies. Charles pays for and 8,000 franc funeral for her but then soon realizes the amount of debt he is in. He sells everything in the house but when he comes across Emma's desk he finds all the letters from her other lovers. Charles is completely heartbroken but blames fate for her actions rather than blaming Emma. Charles meets up with Rodolphe but he admits that he is not angry. The very next day he dies in the garden. Berthe is bounced around from family member to family member but ultimately ends up working in a cotton mill. Analysis: I think that Emma is ultimately one of the most selfish characters that I've ever read about. She creates her own misery and instead of trying to get out of it or just find any solution, she results to killing herself, leaving her burdens on those who she has left behind. In some ways I think she fits the characteristics of a greek tragic hero because she causes her own misery due to a tragic flaw, which for her would be her desire to have things that she cannot have. Overall I really loved this book and I still think that Gustave Flaubert has a very fine and distinct writing style. Application: I think that this novel is a perfect novel to answer the essential question with. Based upon this novel, I think we see two distinct characteristics of humans that span time and culture. The first one being the desire to have things in which we cannot have. This is seen when Emma wants to have this high social class lifestyle that is not befitting of the man that she married, so she decides to go out and have various affairs to get the romantic day dream that she has always wanted to fulfill. Second, we see the characteristic of doing whatever it takes to get whatever you want despite the consequences of ones actions. This is seen when Emma goes out and spends money even though she is going very deeply into debt which then leads to her suicide. I don't think that Emma thought about the burden that she was going to leave behind on Charles because after she died, he was left trying to compensate for all the debt that she created. I think that these are two human characteristics that span time and culture that are present in the novel "Madame Bovary" by Gustave Flaubert. The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde Wiki Post #1 February 23, 2012 Beginning- Chapter 6
Summary: The story starts out with the introduction of Lord Henry Watton and Basil Hallward who seem to have a close relationship. Basil has just completed a excellent painting of a young man named Dorian Gray. Being rather fond of the painting, Lord Henry ends up meeting Dorian, although Basil worries that Lord Henry will ruin him. Lord Henry develops a strong liking for Dorian. Dorian meets a young actress by the name Sybil Vane, and soon they are engaged. Sybil is very excited over the relationship, however, her mother is not.Sybil's brother, James, is worried of the match and pleads with his mother to protect Sybil. Much to Dorians dismay, Lord Henry continues to watch over Dorian because he feels as though he is shaping him in some way. Analysis: I was really surprised by this novel because of the hinting of homosexuality since it was a taboo in Europe until around the 20th century. I also noticed that Oscar Wilde seems to give the women a superficial like character. Even Sybil who seems to be a main character is superficial as well. It seems to me that Oscar Wilde favors the men in his story and after I looked up Oscar WIlde, I learned that he was actually homosexual himself. While there homosexuality is never specifically mentioned, it does appear that both Lord Henry and Basil have a romantic-like fascination with Dorian which leads me to think that perhaps this was Oscar Wilde's way of putting out his own self into the novel. Application: I think that this novel can be related to the essential question. All three of the men (Dorian, Lord Henry, and Basil) all go against some of the social norms of this time and culture in order to reach the goal of what they desired. Homosexuality was incredibly taboo during this time, and being as Basil was Christian, he didn't act upon his desires, giving into the social norms of a heterosexual society but instead paints a portrait of Dorian to represent his feelings for him. Lord Henry seems to have a strong fascination with Dorian to the point that he selfishly wants to have influence over Dorians life, which kind of explores human ideals. His ideals are of beauty and intelligence, and he seems to be displeased with most people of the time and culture because he doesn't believe in suffering to the extend of not seeing the beauty in life. Dorian plans to marry Sybil who is significantly beneath him in social classes. Some people of this time period would frown upon this and expect him to marry for money rather than love. Although I am not very far into the novel, I expect more of the ways this novel relates to the essential question to become clearer.
Wiki Post #2 March 20, 2012 Chapter 7-14
Summary: The three men go to the theatre to view a performance by Sybil, however she performs horribly and when Dorian goes back stage to speak with her, he ends their engagement because he realizes that he was only in love with her acting, not with her. When Dorian goes home and looks at the portrait of himself he notices that the picture has seemed to change, he now sees a sneer in the corner of his mouth. He eventually becomes so bothered by the portrait that he looks it away in a different room of his home. Sybil commits suicide but Dorian doesn't feel guilt after he discusses the matter with Lord Henry. Lord Henry gives a mysterious yellow book which Dorian finds to be both fascinating and poisonous. Eighteen years pass and Dorian grows deeper and deeper into the dark side. The people around town begin to gossip about how his face is so pure, and yet his soul is growing darker and darker. Basil sees Dorian one day and he confronts him about where his values have gone. Dorian invites Basil back to his house where he plans to show him his diary so any of Basil's questions can be answered, however, when the two view the portrait that Basil painted of Dorian, Dorian becomes enraged and stabs Basil to death and locks him in a room upstairs. The next day Dorian calls for his friend Cambell to come over and once there he tells him of Basil's dead body upstairs and tell him he killed him and askes Cambell if he will get rid of the body for him. Cambell originally refuses to do it but then Dorian black mails him about a secret Cambell wouldn't want to have let out. After Cambell gets rid of the body, Dorian peers at the portrait and notices that his hand seems to be dripping with blood. Analysis: When reading this I was really surprised to see how quickly Dorian became corrupted. At the gap of 18 years between the two chapters, the dark deeds that Dorian committed weren't told, but I can only imagine how horrible that must have been, When I was reading about Basil going to Dorians house, I knew something bad was going to happen, but I was upset to see Basil die. This section made me wonder who really corrupted Dorian. On one had, I could clearly think that it was Lord Henry because he's the one who originally gave Dorian the ideas of darkness, but on the other hand, I don't think it's fair to say it was all him. For a while it seemed like Dorian was conscious about the things he was and knew they were bad. He was able to fight through the ideas that Lord Henry gave him. However, it isn't until after Sybil's death that Dorian notices the sneer in the portrait (which I think is an allusion in his mind) and that is what I think begins to drive him mad. After this, he fully goes into the ideas from the book that Lord Henry sent him, in fact he had them ordered in different colors, just so that he would always have one that would match his mood. At this point in the novel, I think it is incredibly evident that the Dorian from the beginning of the novel is long gone, and this new Dorian is most deinitely not someone with an untainted soul. Application: Now that I am much further into this novel, I think I see the true theme. Corruption. In this part of the novel, it really focuses on how Dorian went from being someone who knew the difference between good and evil, and right from wrong, but now he is someone who doesn't seem to have a real sense of reality and is willing to commit murder- as he does to Basil. I think that corruption is an inherited characteristic that spans time and culture just as the loss of innocence is considered to be one. I think that loss of innocence and corruption do go hand in hand though. I think that once all of us go through the loss of innocence that we all must inevitably go through, we are more open to being corrupted into ideas that aren't necessarily good or right for us, but most of the time, we are able to get back to the right path although this does not happen for everyone. I think that the latter happened to Dorian. I am soon at the end of the novel and I'm eager to see how this plot will pan out. I wonder if Dorian will find his way back to the right path, or if he will realize this a bit too late, and be the tragic hero of this story.
Wiki Post #3 April 16, 2012 Chapters 15-20
Summary: After Dorian murders Basil he goes to a dinner where Lord Henry also happens to be an attending guest. He finds himself having a difficult time eating, and when Lord Henry asks Dorian where he had been the night before, he gets very defensive. When he returns home he burns all of Basil's things and takes a carriage into the poorer area of London known as Opium Dens. It is here that he comes across James, Sybil's brother. Promising to avenge Dorian for his sisters death, he corners Dorian but Dorian convinces him that he could not possibly be the man that he is looking for because Dorian still has the face of a twenty year old, and it would be impossible for the man that James is looking for to be him. James lets him go but later learns that it really was Dorian and once again goes out on the hunt for him. After three days of being paranoid pass, Dorian goes to a shooting party where a man is shot, and Dorian thinks that it is an omen, however Lord Henry dismisses the idea. Dorian then begins to try to redeem himself for the sins that he committed. When he meets an innocent village girl he decides to protect her reputation. When talking to Lord Henry he tries to have the young virtuous mind that he once had. With great hope, Dorian goes into the attic to see the portrait. To Dorian's surprise the portrait has not changed. He goes into an almost insane fit and decides that the only way he can redeem his sins is to get rid of the portrait. His servants hear a cloud clang and a scream and when they go upstairs they see the young painting of Dorian, and an old wrinkled man with a knife in his chest dead on the floor. Analysis: I was both confused and shocked by these final chapters of the novel. I was confused by Dorian's sudden need to try to change the tone of his life. While it is understandable that he would want to, I wasn't quite sure on just what it was that struck him so that it made him realize he needed to change. I was also really confused by how young Dorian supposedly looked. I don't really understand how he could look so young, it kind of made me think of how in some myths we hear of people making deals with the devil. I wonder if perhaps Lord Henry is meant to represent the devil, since that is who essentially corrupted Dorian. I was also able to connect this novel back to Dante's Inferno. It reminded me of the section where the sinners are told to lose all hope. I think that when Dorian saw that the portrait was still unchanged though he tried to change, he lost all hope. Application: As I was talking about in my second wiki post, I truly believe that Dorian could be considered a tragic hero. Once he realizes that he has made some very great sins, he tries to ammend them. Try all he may, they still cannot change what has already happened. It is too late. I think that perhaps it is an inherrited human characteristic that we all at times are a tragic hero in our own life's story. We all see things about ourselves that we might like to change, but we often realize this just a little bit too late to be able to do anything about it. We are stuck with our fate. This is just what happened in this novel. After I did research on Oscar Wilde I can't help but see the parallels betweeen his life and this book. I think that he felt like Basil, he knew his homosexual tendencies were wrong so he tried he hid them to an extent. I think that Dorian represented the oppressed 19th century that he lived in. This book has given me a whole new perspective on my view of what characteristics span time and culture. It has made me realize that in some way, we all are the tragic hero of our own life.
There are many forces that shaped me into the person that I am today. The ten strongest forces are my mother, my father, my grandmother, my sister, my faith, my friends, music, books, education, and the Harry Potter series. My mother has made a positive influence in my life by teaching me that no matter what circumstances you grow up in, you can always make the decision to live a better life, and choose happiness. My dad raised me to be comfortable in myself. He's always taught me that it's okay to just be you, and you should never try to be someone for anyone else. Both of my parents have been my rock, believing in me, even when I didn't believe in myself. My sister is seven years older than me and we never got along until very recently. She taught me that it's never too late to have second chances, and you should always be willing to work on a relationship. Growing up, I always very close with my grandmother. In many ways, she is the one who shaped me most into the person that I am today. She sparked my interest in learning, and would always encourage me to read and write, which has always been something I've loved. She passed away two years ago but still remains to be a strong force in my life. My faith is also another strong force that has shaped me into who I am. It helps to guide my life in the right directions, and is always something to rely on. Music has also been a strong force for me. Even as a young child I was always very interested in music, and I've played an instrument for eight years. In many ways it has given me a way to express myself, not only in playing music but also in listening to music. Books have also been a strong influence for me. When I read a book, I feel as though I become the character in that book, the mistakes that the character makes, or even just the lessons that come from within the book help me to see choices in a different light. Education is a strong force for me. I try my best to push myself to do the very best that I can do, Education has inspired that because I always try to put the best effort into school work. Lastly, the Harry Potter series has been a very strong force for me. In some ways, I have learned more about being a good person, and doing the right thing than I have from other resources. They have taught me about the power of friendship, love, and most importantly the difference between right and wrong. Without the strong morals that my family and culture, I would not be the person that I am today.
Jessica,
I agree with your comment about your sister because I see that somewhat with my own siblings. We are definitely grateful for what we have in each other, but I think we will grow to appreciate that more as we get older. I also agree with your comment about becoming the character in the book. I think sometimes whether we notice it or not, we compare ourselves to the characters that we read about and analyze the character's qualities in comparison to our own. I like that you listed Harry Potter as a force in your life, as I am a fan of the books too. You can really learn a lot from books, and the HP series really demonstrates the values of friendship, love, morals.
Jessica Smith
Madame bovary - Gustave Flaubert
Wiki Post #1
Summary: The novel starts out with the introduction of the character Charles Bovary. Gustave Flaubert explains both of the main characters and goes onto give an entire description of Charles Bovary's life. He is painted as someone who is somewhat lazy and a bit of a push over. In chapter two, Charles is called and is alerted that he is needed to set a farmers broken leg. When he goes over to the farm he is introduced to the protagonist Emma. She is the farmer's daughter and is very displeased with life on the country. Charles quickly begins to fall in love with her, much to his wife's dismay, and begins to visit the farm far more often than he needs to. When Charles's wife finds out that Emma comes from good breeding and has good looks, she forbids Charles to ever visit the farm again. However, Charles's wife dies shortly after, and soon Emma and Charles are married. Emma wants to have an elaborate and romantic wedding, but is forced to have a more traditional one.
Analysis: I am really enjoying the book. I find the book to be fascinating and I think Flaubert is a genius author. There are two themes that I'm starting to notice within each of the main characters. In Charles, I see a theme of contentment and wanting to live the happiest life that you can. In Emma I see a theme of wanting things you cannot have and wanting to have more for yourself. I found it to be really interesting that the book did not start out with the protagonist, Emma, but instead with Charles.
Application: This novel relates to the essential question in someways. The characteristic that is present in this book that I think spanned through man kind and culture is to want more for yourself than you have. I think that it is human nature to want things that you can't have and to constantly try to improve the life you have. This is evident in the character Emma because she is very displeased with country life. She wants to have more than what she has. When she is planning her wedding, she wants this elaborate and romantic wedding, but is forced to have a more traditional wedding. This thus proves that it is human nature to want things we cant have. I think that this is her role in the novel.
Wiki Post #2
Summary: In this section of the novel Emma moves into her new home with Charles. As she studies the house, she begins to make a list of improvements to be made. She also demands Charles to remove the dried bouquet of his last wife. The longer that time moves on, Emma begins to be disappointed by her new life. Before she was married, she felt as though she was in love, but now that she is married, she doesn't feel happiness, and instead feels as though she was mistaken and was never in love at all. In the next chapter Emma reminisces on her time in the convent. She immersed herself with romance novels, and mourns her mothers death. After mourning her mother's death for some time, she leaves the convent. She goes back to living in the country with her father and soon becomes bored of this average life. This is where she meets Charles and her life is caught up to the current date.
Analysis: I am still really enjoying this novel. I like how the perspective changes from Charles over to Emma and how it is kind of a rewritten version of the first section but only in Emma's view now. I am beginning to see the theme in Emma's character come out even more now since learning her background story. Emma has even more discontentment towards everything going on in her life. I feel that this is what sets the tone for her character as a whole. I feel as though she has two sides in her personality, one side is the life that she wants; romantic and happy, the other is how she really is; discontent and dissatisfied by almost everything in her life.
Application: I am beginning to see how this novel relates to the essential question even more now, mainly with the characteristic that I already brought up in the last post about wanting things that you cannot have and always wanting to improve your life. Although, I think I'm seeing Emma's character as more of a yearning for satisfaction in a world where you will only find dissatisfaction kind of character. This does relate to the essential question though because she is still trying to improve her life. She is so disappointed by everything that she just always wants more out of life. I think that this is something present in all areas and stages of mankind. Without this want to have more than what we do have, I do not believe we would be where we are today.
Wiki Post #3
Summary: In this section of the novel the novel Flaubert lets us in to what the lives of the Bovary' are really like. Charles is head over heels in love with Emma, but she is left feeling dejected from her life with him. When they go to a party, she begins to have feelings for another man; Leon. Time moves on and eventually Emma is so infatuated with him, she no longer cares about being virtuous by the restrictions of her marriage, however when Leon moves to Paris, she finds a new lover; Rodolphe. Emma and Rodolphe's relationship grows stronger and stronger and eventually Emma gives herself to him, however soon he begins to grow bored of her but stays with her merely for her sexual appeal. Emma is disgusted by Charles and her daughter Berthe. She beings to be so careless with her affair that the whole town begins to figure it out, but of course Charles is blind to the affair. Emma and Rodolphe make plans to run away together but Rodolphe ends up talking himself out of the plan.
Analysis: As I stated in the earlier posts, I really enjoy this book. I really enjoy the plot and Flaubert's writing style. Emma's true character is coming out more and more. In this section she is played out to be a fair bit more selfish and less virtuous. In psychology there is something called the Id, Ego, and Super ego which depicts our frame of thinking and behavior. The id is the strictly selfish thoughts and actions we partake in, the super ego is the exact opposite; it is the pure and socially acceptable thoughts and actions we partake in. In this section Emma begins to become more and more id based.
Application: The theme that I had detected before that related to the essential question which was the need to desire things that we cannot have is even more evident in this section, although now it turns to more of the romantic desires. Emma is constantly dissatisfied in Charles, when he fails an operation she is extremely embarrassed which in a way pushes her to want to pursue her affair even more. Even though Emma knows that Rodolphe is only using her for sex, she is willing to put that behind her in order to have this romantic daydream that she's always dreamed of fulfilling.
Wiki Post #4
Summary: In this part of the novel, we see Emma's true self in full form. Emma receives a letter from Rodolphe stating that he no longer wishes to elope with her. She goes into a deep sickness for many months but then suddenly comes out of it when she reaches a religious epiphany. With this epiphany she becomes much kinder to Charles and Berthe but this doesn't last long because she soon becomes dissatisfied with her life again. One evening Charles and Emma go to an opera where they run into Leon who has returned from Paris. When Charles must return back to town, both Emma and Leon stay over night to see the next part of the opera the following day, however instead of doing so, they spend the day together speaking of romantic ideas, and beginning an affair together. When Emma must make a trip to Rouen to have Leon draw up papers for Charles fathers death, the two have a three day honeymoon doing romantic things together. When it is time for her to come home, she arranges ways for him to write to her.
Analysis: I think that Emma is a really selfish character. When Charles's father dies, instead of being supportive she runs off to have an affair with a friend of her husband. Overall I still really like the book. I think in this section of the novel we can see the how rapidly she begins to become unconcerned with everything else but the affairs in her life.
Application: I think there is another part of the essential question coming out in this section of the book of doing whatever you want despite the consequences of ones actions. When Emma is out having her affair she isn't worried about her husband or her child, she doesn't care about what might happen to them in her absence. I think we see this throughout today's society. We see many cases in the United States where mothers abandon their children to do things such as go out despite how it may effect their child. This is also evident when we see parents who become alcoholics and drug addicts even though it harms their children. This is definitely a human characteristic that spans time and culture.
Wiki Post #5
Summary: In this section of the novel Emma has turned completely selfish and completely infatuated with Leon. She begins to go deeply into debt as she does not pay her taxes but still takes out loans. Eventually both her and Leon grow tired of each other and their affair ends. Emma begins to try to gather money to pay her debt but when she does not earn enough she begins to offer to sell her body, however she still does not earn enough money because no one will take her up on her offers. She becomes very depressed and takes arsenic from the local apothacary and soon falls into a deep sickness. She writes a letter to Charles but instructs him to not open it until the next day. By the time he opens the letter, it is too late. None of the many doctors that Charles calls in can cure her and she soon dies. Charles pays for and 8,000 franc funeral for her but then soon realizes the amount of debt he is in. He sells everything in the house but when he comes across Emma's desk he finds all the letters from her other lovers. Charles is completely heartbroken but blames fate for her actions rather than blaming Emma. Charles meets up with Rodolphe but he admits that he is not angry. The very next day he dies in the garden. Berthe is bounced around from family member to family member but ultimately ends up working in a cotton mill.
Analysis: I think that Emma is ultimately one of the most selfish characters that I've ever read about. She creates her own misery and instead of trying to get out of it or just find any solution, she results to killing herself, leaving her burdens on those who she has left behind. In some ways I think she fits the characteristics of a greek tragic hero because she causes her own misery due to a tragic flaw, which for her would be her desire to have things that she cannot have. Overall I really loved this book and I still think that Gustave Flaubert has a very fine and distinct writing style.
Application: I think that this novel is a perfect novel to answer the essential question with. Based upon this novel, I think we see two distinct characteristics of humans that span time and culture. The first one being the desire to have things in which we cannot have. This is seen when Emma wants to have this high social class lifestyle that is not befitting of the man that she married, so she decides to go out and have various affairs to get the romantic day dream that she has always wanted to fulfill. Second, we see the characteristic of doing whatever it takes to get whatever you want despite the consequences of ones actions. This is seen when Emma goes out and spends money even though she is going very deeply into debt which then leads to her suicide. I don't think that Emma thought about the burden that she was going to leave behind on Charles because after she died, he was left trying to compensate for all the debt that she created. I think that these are two human characteristics that span time and culture that are present in the novel "Madame Bovary" by Gustave Flaubert.
The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
Wiki Post #1
February 23, 2012
Beginning- Chapter 6
Summary: The story starts out with the introduction of Lord Henry Watton and Basil Hallward who seem to have a close relationship. Basil has just completed a excellent painting of a young man named Dorian Gray. Being rather fond of the painting, Lord Henry ends up meeting Dorian, although Basil worries that Lord Henry will ruin him. Lord Henry develops a strong liking for Dorian. Dorian meets a young actress by the name Sybil Vane, and soon they are engaged. Sybil is very excited over the relationship, however, her mother is not.Sybil's brother, James, is worried of the match and pleads with his mother to protect Sybil. Much to Dorians dismay, Lord Henry continues to watch over Dorian because he feels as though he is shaping him in some way.
Analysis: I was really surprised by this novel because of the hinting of homosexuality since it was a taboo in Europe until around the 20th century. I also noticed that Oscar Wilde seems to give the women a superficial like character. Even Sybil who seems to be a main character is superficial as well. It seems to me that Oscar Wilde favors the men in his story and after I looked up Oscar WIlde, I learned that he was actually homosexual himself. While there homosexuality is never specifically mentioned, it does appear that both Lord Henry and Basil have a romantic-like fascination with Dorian which leads me to think that perhaps this was Oscar Wilde's way of putting out his own self into the novel.
Application: I think that this novel can be related to the essential question. All three of the men (Dorian, Lord Henry, and Basil) all go against some of the social norms of this time and culture in order to reach the goal of what they desired. Homosexuality was incredibly taboo during this time, and being as Basil was Christian, he didn't act upon his desires, giving into the social norms of a heterosexual society but instead paints a portrait of Dorian to represent his feelings for him. Lord Henry seems to have a strong fascination with Dorian to the point that he selfishly wants to have influence over Dorians life, which kind of explores human ideals. His ideals are of beauty and intelligence, and he seems to be displeased with most people of the time and culture because he doesn't believe in suffering to the extend of not seeing the beauty in life. Dorian plans to marry Sybil who is significantly beneath him in social classes. Some people of this time period would frown upon this and expect him to marry for money rather than love. Although I am not very far into the novel, I expect more of the ways this novel relates to the essential question to become clearer.
Wiki Post #2
March 20, 2012
Chapter 7-14
Summary: The three men go to the theatre to view a performance by Sybil, however she performs horribly and when Dorian goes back stage to speak with her, he ends their engagement because he realizes that he was only in love with her acting, not with her. When Dorian goes home and looks at the portrait of himself he notices that the picture has seemed to change, he now sees a sneer in the corner of his mouth. He eventually becomes so bothered by the portrait that he looks it away in a different room of his home. Sybil commits suicide but Dorian doesn't feel guilt after he discusses the matter with Lord Henry. Lord Henry gives a mysterious yellow book which Dorian finds to be both fascinating and poisonous. Eighteen years pass and Dorian grows deeper and deeper into the dark side. The people around town begin to gossip about how his face is so pure, and yet his soul is growing darker and darker. Basil sees Dorian one day and he confronts him about where his values have gone. Dorian invites Basil back to his house where he plans to show him his diary so any of Basil's questions can be answered, however, when the two view the portrait that Basil painted of Dorian, Dorian becomes enraged and stabs Basil to death and locks him in a room upstairs. The next day Dorian calls for his friend Cambell to come over and once there he tells him of Basil's dead body upstairs and tell him he killed him and askes Cambell if he will get rid of the body for him. Cambell originally refuses to do it but then Dorian black mails him about a secret Cambell wouldn't want to have let out. After Cambell gets rid of the body, Dorian peers at the portrait and notices that his hand seems to be dripping with blood.
Analysis: When reading this I was really surprised to see how quickly Dorian became corrupted. At the gap of 18 years between the two chapters, the dark deeds that Dorian committed weren't told, but I can only imagine how horrible that must have been, When I was reading about Basil going to Dorians house, I knew something bad was going to happen, but I was upset to see Basil die. This section made me wonder who really corrupted Dorian. On one had, I could clearly think that it was Lord Henry because he's the one who originally gave Dorian the ideas of darkness, but on the other hand, I don't think it's fair to say it was all him. For a while it seemed like Dorian was conscious about the things he was and knew they were bad. He was able to fight through the ideas that Lord Henry gave him. However, it isn't until after Sybil's death that Dorian notices the sneer in the portrait (which I think is an allusion in his mind) and that is what I think begins to drive him mad. After this, he fully goes into the ideas from the book that Lord Henry sent him, in fact he had them ordered in different colors, just so that he would always have one that would match his mood. At this point in the novel, I think it is incredibly evident that the Dorian from the beginning of the novel is long gone, and this new Dorian is most deinitely not someone with an untainted soul.
Application: Now that I am much further into this novel, I think I see the true theme. Corruption. In this part of the novel, it really focuses on how Dorian went from being someone who knew the difference between good and evil, and right from wrong, but now he is someone who doesn't seem to have a real sense of reality and is willing to commit murder- as he does to Basil. I think that corruption is an inherited characteristic that spans time and culture just as the loss of innocence is considered to be one. I think that loss of innocence and corruption do go hand in hand though. I think that once all of us go through the loss of innocence that we all must inevitably go through, we are more open to being corrupted into ideas that aren't necessarily good or right for us, but most of the time, we are able to get back to the right path although this does not happen for everyone. I think that the latter happened to Dorian. I am soon at the end of the novel and I'm eager to see how this plot will pan out. I wonder if Dorian will find his way back to the right path, or if he will realize this a bit too late, and be the tragic hero of this story.
Wiki Post #3
April 16, 2012
Chapters 15-20
Summary: After Dorian murders Basil he goes to a dinner where Lord Henry also happens to be an attending guest. He finds himself having a difficult time eating, and when Lord Henry asks Dorian where he had been the night before, he gets very defensive. When he returns home he burns all of Basil's things and takes a carriage into the poorer area of London known as Opium Dens. It is here that he comes across James, Sybil's brother. Promising to avenge Dorian for his sisters death, he corners Dorian but Dorian convinces him that he could not possibly be the man that he is looking for because Dorian still has the face of a twenty year old, and it would be impossible for the man that James is looking for to be him. James lets him go but later learns that it really was Dorian and once again goes out on the hunt for him. After three days of being paranoid pass, Dorian goes to a shooting party where a man is shot, and Dorian thinks that it is an omen, however Lord Henry dismisses the idea. Dorian then begins to try to redeem himself for the sins that he committed. When he meets an innocent village girl he decides to protect her reputation. When talking to Lord Henry he tries to have the young virtuous mind that he once had. With great hope, Dorian goes into the attic to see the portrait. To Dorian's surprise the portrait has not changed. He goes into an almost insane fit and decides that the only way he can redeem his sins is to get rid of the portrait. His servants hear a cloud clang and a scream and when they go upstairs they see the young painting of Dorian, and an old wrinkled man with a knife in his chest dead on the floor.
Analysis: I was both confused and shocked by these final chapters of the novel. I was confused by Dorian's sudden need to try to change the tone of his life. While it is understandable that he would want to, I wasn't quite sure on just what it was that struck him so that it made him realize he needed to change. I was also really confused by how young Dorian supposedly looked. I don't really understand how he could look so young, it kind of made me think of how in some myths we hear of people making deals with the devil. I wonder if perhaps Lord Henry is meant to represent the devil, since that is who essentially corrupted Dorian. I was also able to connect this novel back to Dante's Inferno. It reminded me of the section where the sinners are told to lose all hope. I think that when Dorian saw that the portrait was still unchanged though he tried to change, he lost all hope.
Application: As I was talking about in my second wiki post, I truly believe that Dorian could be considered a tragic hero. Once he realizes that he has made some very great sins, he tries to ammend them. Try all he may, they still cannot change what has already happened. It is too late. I think that perhaps it is an inherrited human characteristic that we all at times are a tragic hero in our own life's story. We all see things about ourselves that we might like to change, but we often realize this just a little bit too late to be able to do anything about it. We are stuck with our fate. This is just what happened in this novel. After I did research on Oscar Wilde I can't help but see the parallels betweeen his life and this book. I think that he felt like Basil, he knew his homosexual tendencies were wrong so he tried he hid them to an extent. I think that Dorian represented the oppressed 19th century that he lived in. This book has given me a whole new perspective on my view of what characteristics span time and culture. It has made me realize that in some way, we all are the tragic hero of our own life.